Bergen County Prosecutor's Office investigates altercation between groups on Ridge Road; no arrests announced.

Two men died Sunday night in North Arlington after gunfire erupted during an altercation between two small groups at the border of North Arlington and Kearny, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

North Arlington police responded at about 8:37 p.m. to multiple reports of gunfire near the intersection of Ridge Road and Belleville Turnpike, records show. Ridge Road becomes Kearny Avenue at the border.

Officers found Brian Dominick Lockett, 28, of North Arlington, and Ezequiel Aquino, 29, of Newark, both with gunshot wounds. Members of the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team rendered aid. Both men were transported by separate ambulances to University Hospital in Newark, where they were pronounced dead, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Lockett lived in the borough where he died. Aquino traveled from Newark, roughly eight miles southwest, to the Ridge Road corridor. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office has not disclosed how either man knew the other or what brought both to the intersection Sunday night.

A preliminary investigation revealed the shooting occurred during an altercation between two small groups near the intersection, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. The Office has not announced any arrests or suspect identifications as of Monday afternoon.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit and Special Investigations Squad are conducting the investigation jointly with the North Arlington Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer and Chief Michael Horton, respectively. Officers from the North Arlington Police Department were assisted by the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, Kearny Police Department, and Lyndhurst Police Department. Members of the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team also rendered aid.

The cross-border response drew agencies from two counties. Kearny Police Department officers assisted at a scene technically outside their municipal jurisdiction, though Ridge Road becomes Kearny Avenue at the exact point where the shooting occurred. Lyndhurst Police Department, based three miles north, also sent officers. The Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team, a specialized unit trained for mass-casualty and high-threat incidents, both deployed.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office has determined the incident was isolated. It involved an altercation between two small groups of people with no wider threat or ongoing danger to the community. The finding contradicts early speculation, including a theory that the shooting was a drive-by attack, which authorities have not confirmed.

The double homicide represents a rare violent event in a municipality where the last homicide occurred a decade ago. North Arlington recorded a violent crime rate of approximately 61 per 100,000 residents in 2023, with 10 violent crimes total, according to AreaVibes. The last notable homicide in North Arlington was in 2016, when Eric Pleger killed his wife in a domestic incident, records show.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said no other information is available at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

Sources 

• Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, July 20, 2026

• News12 New Jersey, July 20, 2026

• ABC7 New York, July 20, 2026

• AreaVibes, North Arlington Crime Data, 2023

• Ballotpedia, North Arlington Municipal Elections